Dnieper River
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- For the rocket, see Dnepr rocket. For other uses, see Dnieper (disambiguation).
| Dnieper | |
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| Russian: Днепр, Dnepr, Ukrainian: Дніпро, Dnipro, Belarusian: Дняпро, Dniapro, Crimean Tatar: Özü
Pronunciation: /ˈniːpər/ |
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| Countries | Russia, Belarus, Ukraine |
| Major cities | Dorogobuzh, Smolensk, Mahilyow, Kiev, Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk |
| Length | 2,290 km (1,423 mi) |
| Watershed | 516,300 km² (199,345 sq mi) |
| Discharge at | Kherson |
| - average | 1,670 m³/s (58,975 cu ft/s) |
| Source | Glaciers |
| - location | Valdai Hills, Russia |
| - coordinates | 55°52′00″N 33°41′00″E / 55.866667°N 33.683333°E |
| - elevation | 220 m (722 ft) |
| Mouth | Dnieper Delta |
| - coordinates | 46°30′00″N 32°20′00″E / 46.5°N 32.333333°E |
| Major tributaries | |
| - left | Sozh, Desna, Trubizh, Supiy, Sula, Psel, Vorskla, Samara, Konka, Bilozerka |
| - right | Drut, Berezina, Prypiat, Teteriv, Irpin, Stuhna, Ros, Tiasmyn, Bazavluk, Inhulets |
 The Dnieper's drainage basin
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The Dnieper River (Russian: Днепр, Dnepr; Belarusian: Дняпро, Dniapro, IPA: [dnʲaˈpro]; Ukrainian: Днiпро, Dnipro, IPA: [dnʲiˈpro]; Crimean Tatar: Özü) is one of the major rivers in Europe (fourth by length) that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea. Its total length is 2,285 kilometres (1,420 mi), of which 485 km (301 mi) lie within Russia, 595 km (370 mi) within Belarus, and 1,095 km (680 mi) within Ukraine. Its basin covers 504,000 square kilometres (195,000 sq mi), of which 289,000 km2 (112,000 sq mi) are within Ukraine.[1]
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[edit] Geography
The Dnieper's source is the turf swamps of the Valdai Hills in central Russia, at an elevation of 220 m (722 ft).[1] For 115 km (71 mi) of its length, it serves as the border between Belarus and Ukraine. It is connected with the Western Bug by the Dnieper-Bug Canal. Its estuary, or liman, used to be defended by the strong fortress of Ochakiv.
[edit] Tributaries of the Dnieper
The Dnieper has many tributaries. The main ones, in orographic sequence, are:
[edit] Reservoirs and Hydroelectric power
The river is famous for its dams and hydroelectric stations. The most famous was the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station or (DniproHES) near Zaporizhia, built in 1927-1932 with an output of 558 MW. It was destroyed during Second World War, and rebuilt in 1948 with an output of 750 MW. The others are: Kremenchuk (1954–60), Kiev (1960–64), Dniprodzerzhynsk (1956–64), Kaniv (1963–75). Those dams that used to generate hydroelectric power of ten percent of Ukraine's total electricity, form water reservoirs. The reservoirs are named as Kiev (922 km2 or 356 sq mi), Kaniv (675 km2 or 261 sq mi), Kremenchuk (2,250 km2 or 870 sq mi), Dniprodzerzhynsk (567 km2 or 219 sq mi), Dnieper (420 km2 or 160 sq mi), and Kakhovka (2,155 km2 or 832 sq mi).
[edit] Cities and towns on the Dnieper
Cities and towns located on the Dnieper are listed in order from the river's source (in Russia) to its mouth (in Ukraine):
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Arheimar, a capital of the Goths, was located on the Dnieper, according to the Hervarar saga.
[edit] Navigation
The Dnieper is important for the transport and economy of Ukraine: its reservoirs have large ship locks, allowing vessels of up to 270 by 18 metres (890 ft × 59 ft) to access as far as the port of Kiev and thus create an important transport corridor. The river is used by passenger vessels as well. Inland cruises on the rivers Danube and Dnieper have been a growing market in recent decades.
Upstream from Kiev, the Dnieper receives the water of the Pripyat River. This navigable river connects to the Dnieper-Bug canal, the link with the Western Bug river. Historically, a connection with the Western European waterways was possible, but a weir without a ship lock near the town of Brest has interrupted this international waterway. Poor political relations between Western Europe and Belarus mean there is little likelihood of re-opening this waterway in the near future.[2]
Navigation is interrupted each year by the winter freezing, and severe winter storms.
[edit] Etymology
The name Dnieper (pronounced \'nē-pər\) is derived from Sarmatian Dānu apara "the river on the far side".[3] (By contrast, the Dniester derives from "the close river".)
In the three countries through which it flows it has essentially the same name, albeit pronounced differently, Russian: Днепр, Dnepr; Belarusian: Дняпро, Dniapro; Ukrainian: Дніпро, Dnipro.
The river is mentioned by the Ancient Greek historian Herodotus in the fifth century BC as Borysthenes (Βορυσθένης), as well as by Strabo; this name is Scythian (cf. Iranian *varu-stāna) and meant "wide land", referring most likely to the Ukrainian steppe. The late Greek and Roman authors called it Δαναπρις - Danapris and Danaper respectively - (dana in Old Persian meant "river"); The name Dnieper probably derives from that Greek word. Its Old East Slavic name used at the time of Kievan Rus' was Slavutich, "the Slavic (river)"; the Huns called it Var, and Bulgars - Buri-Chai.
[edit] In Popular Culture
- Folk metal band Turisas have a song called The Dnieper Rapids on their latest album The Varangian Way.
- The river is one of the symbols of Ukrainian statehood and the Zaporizhian Cossaks.
- A few soccer teams are named after it as well as a few cities in Ukraine such as Dnipropetrovsk, Dniprorudne, and Kamianka-Dniprovska. Another city Zaporizhia is named after the region, meaning "beyond the Rapids".
- Trance artist Leon Bolier featured a track called Dnipro in his debut 2CD album Pictures. The track is said to be inspired by his visit to Kiev in May 2008.
[edit] See also
- Threat of the Dnieper reservoirs
- List of rivers of Russia
- List of rivers of Ukraine
- Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks
[edit] References and footnotes
Definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews
Learning resources from Wikiversity- ^ a b Kubiyovych, Volodymyr; Ivan Teslia. "Dnieper River". Encyclopedia of Ukraine. http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?AddButton=pages\D\N\DnieperRiver.htm. Retrieved on January 19 2007.
- ^ NoorderSoft Waterways Database
- ^ Mallory, J.P. and Victor H. Mair. The Tarim Mummies: Ancient China and the Mystery of the Earliest Peoples from the West. London: Thames and Hudson, 2000. p. 106
[edit] External links
- Dnieper River at the Encyclopedia of Ukraine
- 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica — Dnieper
- Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary — Dnepr
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